Scalping
Both firms allow scalping, but they apply different technical filters to define what is acceptable.
- TradeDay: It is permitted as long as it is not "micro-scalping." They prohibit high-frequency systems generating more than 200 trades per day and strategies that capture only 1-2 ticks in a matter of seconds. Traders can use professional platforms like Jigsaw or NinjaTrader, which are ideal for order flow.
- forTraders Futures: Scalping is allowed with a mandatory minimum duration of 5 seconds per trade. Any form of tick scalping or HFT (High-Frequency Trading) is strictly forbidden.
- Risk and Cost: At TradeDay, scalpers must be careful with the Intraday Trailing Drawdown, which tracks unrealized profits. At forTraders, the proprietary platform For Traders X is the only option, which may limit those used to specialized order flow tools.
Swing Trading (Overnight and Weekend)
The ability to hold positions over time varies greatly between these two entities, especially regarding the weekend.
- TradeDay: Traders can hold positions overnight during the business week. However, holding positions over the weekend is strictly prohibited. This forces swing traders to close all exposure every Friday.
- forTraders Futures: This firm is much more flexible for the long-term trader, as it allows both overnight and weekend holding without any specific restrictions.
- Interaction with Rules: forTraders' "Instant" accounts use a 5% EOD (End of Day) trailing drawdown, which is more forgiving for swing traders than intraday drawdowns that might be triggered by temporary volatility.
News Trading
Handling macroeconomic volatility is a key differentiator for those who trade during high-impact events.
- TradeDay: Prohibits trading during Tier 1 news releases (2 minutes before and after). Violating this results in auto-liquidation of positions. This makes it a restrictive environment for news-driven event traders.
- forTraders Futures: There are no restrictions on news trading for futures accounts. Traders are free to execute positions during FOMC, NFP, or any other economic release.
- Platforms: forTraders' proprietary platform is designed to handle these events, while TradeDay traders must rely on their own stops, though the system will liquidate them if they trade during the forbidden window.
Automated Trading (EAs)
Automation is handled with caution by both firms, prioritizing manual or semi-manual execution.
- TradeDay: Allows the use of EAs only if they are "home-grown" systems developed by the trader. Using bots or ATS (Automated Trading Systems) purchased from third parties is prohibited. Supported platforms include NinjaTrader and Quantower.
- forTraders Futures: Does not allow fully autonomous bots. EAs are only permitted as decision-support tools (for alerts, partial management, or predefined rules), but the final execution must have manual oversight.
- Limitations: The combination of TradeDay allowing EAs but prohibiting weekends limits automated strategies to intraday or weekly cycles only.
Copy Trading and Stacking
Both firms allow stacking (adding to positions), but they have strict limits on copying trades.
- TradeDay: Allows copy trading only between a trader's own accounts (up to 5 Funded Sim accounts). Copying between different users or from external signals is prohibited.
- forTraders Futures: Allows outbound copying (sending trades from forTraders to other firms) but strictly forbids inbound copying from external sources or signal services.
- Consistency: TradeDay requires a 30% consistency rule in its Quick Pay model, while forTraders applies a 40% rule (best day cannot exceed 40% of total profit) during the evaluation phase.
If you trade like this
- Professional Order Flow Scalpers: TradeDay is the better fit. Its compatibility with NinjaTrader, Tradovate, and Jigsaw, combined with the 90% profit split in Live accounts, favors those with high execution volume.
- Swing and News Traders: forTraders Futures is the clear choice. The permission to hold over the weekend and the lack of news trading restrictions are essential for these styles.
- Institutional Growth Seekers: forTraders Futures offers a "Premium Program" with monthly salaries (up to $1,500) and balance boosts for consistent traders, which is unique in the futures space.
- Cost-Conscious Beginners: TradeDay is more accessible initially, with $50,000 evaluations starting at approximately $62 (Quick Pay) compared to the $199 one-time fee at forTraders.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is cheaper to start a $50,000 account, TradeDay or forTraders Futures?
TradeDay is significantly cheaper for the initial purchase. Its $50,000 "Quick Pay" evaluation costs approximately $62 per month, while forTraders Futures charges a one-time fee of $199 for its "Futures Fast" 50K challenge. However, remember that TradeDay's cost is a recurring monthly subscription until the evaluation is passed.
Which firm allows holding positions over the weekend, TradeDay or forTraders Futures?
forTraders Futures allows holding positions over the weekend without restrictions across all its futures products. In contrast, TradeDay strictly prohibits weekend holding, requiring all traders to close their positions before the Friday market close, although it does allow overnight holding during the week.
Which firm offers a higher profit split, TradeDay or forTraders Futures?
TradeDay offers a higher potential profit split, reaching up to 90% for traders who reach the "Funded Live" phase. forTraders Futures maintains a fixed profit split of 80% for all its futures products, although it offers other incentives like monthly salaries for its most consistent traders through the Premium Program.
Which platforms can I use in TradeDay vs forTraders Futures?
TradeDay offers a wide variety of industry-standard platforms, including NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView, Jigsaw, and Quantower. forTraders Futures is much more limited in this regard, as it requires all traders to use its proprietary platform, For Traders X, for all futures operations.
